Jara A to Z
by KuroAnubis
Summary: An A to Z of Jara in all their glory! First story: Aquarium
1. Aquarium

**Hey everyone, back with another Jara fic! This is one of those A-Z stories. I'm not sure if there are any other Jara stories like this, so if there is I apologize in advance.**

**I hope you enjoy it! Read the author's note at the end for a surprise!**

* * *

_Chapter One:  
Aquarium_

Mara stared out the window of the car, anxiously waiting for the big blue building to come into view. It was her sixth birthday and her parents were taking her to her favourite place in the world: the aquarium. It was the only place she ever wanted to go on special occasions. By now, her mother thought, she could recognize every fish species and name them all reverse-alphabetically. But of course, she was only six, and six year olds didn't know that kind of stuff. Still, Mara would rather know every fish species than jump hurdles or play hockey like her parents. It just didn't appeal to her.

"Mara," her mother said from the front seat. "Don't fog up the window." Sure enough, the window was fogged up where Mara's breath had hit it. Mara wiped it away quickly and jumped up and down in her seat when she saw the aquarium building come into view. It was a small dome-shaped building with a giant clownfish on top. Mara called that fish Henry.

As soon as her father parked the car, Mara flung open the door and bolted towards the aquarium, ignoring her mother's "Be careful!" cries. There was only one fish Mara wanted to see. Her favourite fish in the whole aquarium was a small glowlight tetra named Guppy. No one ever went to see Guppy, that made Mara mad. Guppy was as beautiful and interesting as any other fish. He deserved an audience too.

Secretly, Mara was happy that no one looked at Guppy. She thought of him as her own friend. Just for her.

When she saw the small tank where Guppy swam come into view, Mara stopped running. There was someone there. Someone was actually looking at Guppy. It was a young boy, around Mara's age. Mara shyly tiptoed over to the tank, standing as far away from the boy as possible. The boy glanced at her. He had sandy blonde hair and a rather fed-up expression. Mara noticed that he looked over to a family of three who were looking at the octopuses. A man, woman and a little toddler with the same colour hair as him.

"Here to see that one?" he asked, pointing at a large clownfish, almost exactly like the one on the top of the building, and far more glamorous than Guppy. Mara blinked. Her mother had told her not to talk to strangers, so she ignored him. "Thought so," said the boy. "No one ever comes to see Guppy."

"Guppy?" Mara asked. The boy nodded. "He's my favourite."

The boy smiled. "Mine too," he said. "Just because he's not really beautiful doesn't mean he isn't important."

"That's right!" said Mara. The boy looked over at the family again. "Do you know them?" The boy noticed who she was looking at and blushed.

"No...um, well...they're my...parents. And my sister." the boy mumbled. "They don't like the small fish. My sister only likes the big ones like the sharks."

Mara wasn't sure what to say. "They don't appreciate the small fish like Guppy." she said. The boy looked puzzled.

"Appree-what?" he asked.

"Oops," said Mara. "Sometimes I use big words without thinking." The boy seemed to understand.

"Oh, okay. I like people who are smart." the boy said. Mara blushed a little, but smiled at him.

A funny gurgling noise made them turn. The little toddler, the boy's sister, had waddled over to them. "Gee...juurrromee..." she attempted. Mara giggled.

"She's cute," she said. The boy rolled his eyes.

"What?" he asked his sister. The girl waved her arms around in the direction of her parents. "Oh, I have to go. Come on, Poppy."

"Bye," said Mara, waving. The boy hesitated, then waved back. He mooched towards his parents, his sister trying with all her two-year-old might to drag him. When they were out of sight, Mara turned back to Guppy.

"The boy was right," she said to the fish. "Just because you aren't as beautiful as everyone else doesn't mean you're not important." Mara knew Guppy couldn't hear her, but she didn't care. She skipped cheerfully towards her parents, happy that someone else finally appreciated the smaller things.

* * *

**How was that? I love two year old Poppy!  
So, I have decided that I'm going to let you guys vote on what the next chapter is about! You can vote through PMs or reviews, I don't mind. The choices for B are:**

**Bright lights  
Black horse  
Bathrobe**


	2. Bathrobe

**Okay, bathrobe got the most votes, with bright lights coming in second. This chapter is way too short for my liking...**

* * *

_Chapter Two:  
Bathrobe_

Mara stepped out of the shower, shaking her wet hair and drying it with a towel. She grabbed the dark blue bathrobe from the hook and shrugged it on. She took a moment to snuggle the soft fabric against her still damp skin.

Jerome sat in the living room of the small apartment, watching TV, only half-interested. Due to Jerome's tiredness, the sitcom on the screen and the whirr of the shower were blurring together. That made it sound like the characters were emitting a buzzing noise when they were running. He suddenly felt his eyes growing heavier, and his head falling. Within seconds, he was asleep.

Mara combed out her wet hair and padded in her fuzzy slippers into the living room. Mara raised an eyebrow at the show on TV, _Urban Gospel Singers_.

"Getting a job as a Gospel singer, Jerome?" she asked. When Jerome didn't answer, she draped herself over the back of the chair and wrapped her arms around him. "Jerome..." She pinched his cheeks lightly. Jerome stirred.

"Hmm? Whazhappin?" he yawned. Mara giggled.

"You fell asleep."

"Oh...okay." Jerome rubbed his eyes and blinked twice. "Wait, what's that?" he asked, pointing at the bathrobe.

"It's a bathrobe..." said Mara. "Are you okay?"

Jerome nodded and smiled. "Yeah. It's nice." he said. "And it's also mine."

Mara sat on his lap. "I know. It's really comfy." She rested her head on his chest.

"What happened to yours?" asked Jerome, biting his lip to hold in a laugh when he saw Mara's expression.

"Do you honestly think I would even consider wearing anything like that?" Mara snapped. "What was Joy thinking?"

But you wore it one night, remember? That night we-"

"Yes, I remember." Mara interrupted, blushing. The bathrobe Joy had picked out for her before she moved in with Jerome was horrifying. You couldn't even call it a bathrobe. It was just a few strings and silk. "But that was a one-time thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to change." Mara grabbed the towel she had left on the floor and made her way to their room.

"Wait," said Jerome, an idea forming in his infamously devilish mind. "I'd like my bathrobe back." Mara smiled.

"Oh you would? Well you'll have to catch me." Whatever way she turned, whether it was on purpose or by accident, Jerome caught a glimpse of pink lace as the front of the bathrobe opened a little. As Jerome got up, Mara made no attempt to hide. Jerome wrapped his arms around her waist and put his face close to hers.

"Can I have it back?" he whispered. Mara smiled up at him, leaning closer.

Just as their lips were about to brush, Mara whispered, "No." She broke away from his hold and casually walked into their room. "But still, it's not like I'm going to go to the trouble of locking the door while I change..." Mara left the door wide open as she reached up high for a set of pyjamas. Mara didn't see Jerome entering the room, but she could sense him behind her. "Someone's eager."

"No. I don't care." said Jerome, pretending to look at the calendar on the bedside table. Mara smiled and took his hand. She led him away from the calendar to look at her. Mara let the bathrobe drop to the floor and kissed him forcefully. She took both of his hands and dragged him backwards. When her head hit the pillow, Mara smiled.

Who says a dull old bathrobe can't be seductive?

* * *

**;) Oh, Mara...**

**Ooookaaaayy...the choices for C are:**

**Chocolate  
Cemetary  
Cats**


	3. Cemetary

**And with the most votes...Cemetary!**

* * *

_Chapter Three:  
Cemetary_

The old couple strolled through the quiet, snow-covered cemetary, up the path they knew so well. The leafless trees cast eerie shadows across the ground in the moonlight. A ginger cat stalked its way between the white blanket of snow, unperturbed by the falling snow. It was 8pm on Sunday, the day they always visited this grave. This grave was special, it belonged to two of their best friends. The headstone was white marble with black words engraved into it.

_Mara Louise Clarke (Jaffray), b. 4 April 1994 d. 26 June 2085 aged 91_

_and her husband_

_Jerome Michael Clarke, b. 12 February 1994 d. 7 October 2087 aged 93_

_"Love is the key that opens the gates of happiness"_

The old woman sniffed and looked at her husband. The old man put a comforting arm around her. "It's okay, my dear. They're at peace now."

The woman nodded, but she could see tears forming in her husband's eyes as he looked at the headstone. "I just miss her. Both of them. I know it's only been a year but I miss Jerome's laugh. And his jokes. And it's been three whole years since we saw Mara's last smile."

"I know. But it's almost time for us to join them. We'll see them soon." her husband said, holding her hand just like their teenage years. But those years were long gone. They now had four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. At ninety-four years of age, they knew death would come any day, and they didn't mind at all. They had lived their life.

The woman shivered through the thin material of her cardigan. Her husband removed his coat and draped it around her shoulders, even though he was wearing only a thin button-down shirt.

"Fabian Rutter, always the sweetheart." the woman smiled.

"Nina Martin, queen of compliments." said her husband, squeezing her shoulders.

"Nina _Rutter,_" she corrected him. There was a moment of silence before Nina said, "I wonder what they're doing now."

Fabian thought for a while. "Knowing Jerome, he is probably doing something crazy, and Mara is trying to get some peace."

Nina laughed softly to herself. "I can imagine." There was another few moments of silence before Nina placed a bouquet of red and pink carnations at the top of the grave.

"Mara's favourite flower..." said Fabian. Nina nodded.

"And the two colours have special meanings. 'My heart aches' and 'I will never forget you'." Nina explained. Fabian smiled.

"That's lovely. Now let's go home before you get frostbite." Fabian put his arm around her and they returned home to their warm, cosy house. Their neighbours bid them goodnight as they passed.

...

That night, two more souls joined their friends at last. Smiles graced their sleeping faces at the stroke of eleven. They died in each others arms, and they never felt happier.

* * *

**...**

**That turned into a Fabina, but whatever, Jara was still the central focus!**

**The choices for D are:**

**Dance  
Dolls  
Datura flower**


	4. Datura Flower

_Chapter Four:  
Datura flower_

The Datura flower, a flower Mara always hated. As well as being poisonous, she also thought it wasn't that nice to look at either. And now she was holding one in her hand. It had been taped to her headboard when she returned from school. The white petals stared coldly up at her. Mara didn't know what to do with it. Who would ever send her a poisonous flower?

She had decided to question the rest of the students in Anubis house, but none of them knew anything about it. Or so it seemed.

Jerome was sitting at the table, hands behind his head, eyes closed, with a smirk on his face. "What are you smirking at?" snapped Mara, sitting down. Jerome raised his hands in surrender.

"Am I not allowed to smile?" he asked. Mara glared at him.

"Who asked you?!" she snapped. The other students looked at each other and shrugged. "I'm going out." Mara grabbed her coat and, making sure to elbow Jerome's head as she passed, stormed out the door.

"What's with her?" asked Alfie. "I thought the Ice Queen melted last season." The others looked at him questioningly. "Last term..."

"She's just mad 'cause someone sent her a poisonous flower. And it's her least favourite type." Patricia explained.

"Someone should go after her. She could have a mental breakdown or something." Amber said seriously. Everyone looked at Jerome.

"Aw, why me?" he groaned.

"Um...hello? You're her closest friend." said Amber. Eddie nodded.

"Yeah, and if she breaks your face you'll forgive her easily!"

Jerome scoffed. "And what makes you think that, brow monster?" Eddie ignored the snipe.

"Uh, maybe because your like totally in love with-"

"Lalalalala," Jerome interrupted, hands over ears. "Okay, okay, I'll go. But if I come back with half my face missing I'm holding all of you responsible." He pointed at all of them individually, backing creepily out of the room until his back hit the front door. Swinging it open, he heaved a sigh. There was no point in going after her. She would never listen, not when she was in her 'le diable' frame of mind, as Eddie called it. But Jerome knew where she would be.

Outside in the small forest near the house there was a huge towering tree. A person could sit on one of the branches without holding on because the branches were so thick.

And he was right.

Mara was perched on one of the upper-middle branches. Unfortunately, those branches were thinner than the lower ones, so Mara had to hold on.

"Go away!" she shouted when she saw him, wobbling slightly.

"Mara, get the hell down! You're going to fall." he yelled up at her. Mara crossed her arms, but had to uncross them again to hold on to the branch. "You're over-reacting. It's just a flower."

"A poisonous flower!" Mara argued. "Which means someone wants to kill me!"

Jerome couldn't believe the ridiculousness of what he was hearing. "Why do you always think of the worst case scenario?"

"I never think of the worst case scenario!" Mara snapped. "Now go back inside and leave me alone." She pointed at Anubis House. Bad idea.

Mara let out a scream as she toppled backwards. Jerome's heart almost stopped. The time seemed to go in slow motion. He somehow got his legs to move and threw out his arms, hoping it wasn't too late. He let out a long, relieved sigh when he felt Mara land in his arms.

"You're...you're safe." he panted, letting her down.

"Yes, well, as I was saying, so back inside and leave me alone."

"But...I just...you just...I just saved your life!" Jerome yelled, outraged. Seeing his expression, Mara felt a little guilty.

"Okay, thank you for saving me. I'm just a little annoyed right now because-"

"Yeah, yeah, the flower." said Jerome, rolling his eyes. Mara shook her head.

"It's not just that. It's...the meaning of the Datura. It means deceitful charms. Which means that whoever sent the flower thinks I'm fake." she said. #

"Mara, I sent you the flower." said Jerome. Mara stared at him, lost for words.

"Huh?" was all she could say. When the fact registered with her, she had to grab her arm to keep from slapping him. "Why!? How could you?" she asked, hurt and furious at the same time. "I thought you were my best friend."

"I'm sorry," said Jerome. "I didn't know it was poisonous, or the meaning. I just saw it in the car park this morning and thought of you and I thought you might like it. I didn't know you hate them."

Mara crossed her arms, expression unreadable. "You thought of me?"

Jerome looked at the ground and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, it was the same colour as the dress you wore the night before. And it's pretty and you're pretty..." His cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. Mara fought the urge to smile, she was still angry at him.

But then why was she hugging him?

"Thank you. That is genuinely one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. And I forgive you for almost poisoning me."

Jerome noticed a cluster of red tulips growing near the trunk of the tree. He bent down and picked one up. He flicked off a pesky green-fly and handed the flower to Mara, who sniffed it.

"It's lovely. And not poisonous." She laughed softly. "Come on, let's go back inside." Walking up the path towards the house, Mara held her tulip in two hands, as though determined not to let go of it.

Jerome thought, "_If only she knew what the meaning of the tulip was."_

* * *

**The meaning of the tulip, for those who don't know, is 'declaration of love'. I have a kind of obsession/fascination with the language of flowers, so don't be surprised if it appears in some future chapters!**

**The choices for E are:**

**Ego  
Evil  
Engaged**


	5. Engaged

_Chapter Five:  
Engaged_

Jerome paced nervously outside Mara's door, running his hand through his hair a few times. He was going to do it. He was going to propose to her after six years of dating. Fabian had encouraged him to do it, but Alfie, Mick and Eddie had been a little reluctant to agree.

_-Flashback-_

_"So? What do you think?" asked Jerome. He and the other boys were sitting in his living room. Alfie was playing 'Monsters vs Aliens' on the Wii with Mick, so they weren't listening. _

_"I think you should do it. If you really love her." said Fabian._

_"I do," said Jerome. "Alfie, what do you think?" Alfie paused the game and turned around. _

_"Well, think about it this way, bro. You're only twenty-three. Do you really want to be tied down by her for the rest of your life? Never able to scout out girls anymore, just stuck with one."_

_"And think of how Mara will change." said Mick. "I've seen this before. Girls are super nice when you're dating them, but when you get married, they turn into the Devil reincarnated." _

_Fabian shook his head. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Girls don't change. Nina hasn't."_

_"That's because you haven't married her yet." said Eddie. "I'm telling you, Jerry. She'll eat you alive."_

_"No she won't." argued Fabian._

_"I don't care," said Jerome. "I love her and I want to do the right thing. But I'm worried she'll say no."_

_-End-_

_..._

Mara fiddled with the laces on her boots, thinking hard. Two nights before, Amber had said something to her that had stuck in her mind. It was just a passing comment, it wasn't meant to be taken seriously, or to hurt her. But they way it was phrased implied something else.

"Jerome's a little hesitant, isn't he?" Amber had said. They had been celebrating Nina's engagement to Fabian, when Joy had asked Mara if Jerome had hinted about proposing to her. Then Amber had said it. Nina and Patricia had coaxed Amber away from the subject, though, telling Mara that Jerome would do it in his own time.

But Mara still wasn't convinced. Jerome _had_ been acting a little strange the last few days. He hadn't kissed her in days and he was usually out when she called over. Mara had searched every part of her brain for an explanation. Some made sense, some didn't. But the one that came into her head repeatedly was: Jerome didn't love her anymore.

It actually made her cry to think about it. But she had concocted a plan the day before. One that would put Jerome's feelings for her to the test. It would prove if he really loved her.

...

Jerome tentatively knocked on Mara's door. He felt around in his pocket for the fifteenth time to make sure the ring was still there. When there was no answer, he knocked a little louder. There was a shuffling noise from inside, and the door opened. Mara didn't even look at him as she walked back into her living room. Her little tan-coloured Pomeranian puppy, Honey, barked excitedly when he saw Jerome. Her ginger tabby cat stalked towards him, greenish-blue eyes staring up at him.

Tabby didn't sniff his hand like she normally did, instead she hissed at him and rubbed against Mara's leg.

Jerome noticed that Mara hadn't said a word since he came in. She had her back turned to him, and was looking at the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Mara straightened up, nodding. Jerome turned her around. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were drenched with tears. "You are _not_ okay." Mara shook her head and dried her tears.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." she said. "Just some dust, I was cleaning." Jerome wasn't convinced.

"Mara, you don't have to lie to me. You can tell me anything." he said. Mara nodded.

"I know. I do actually have something to tell you."

"Oh," said Jerome. "Well, I have something to tell you too, but it's kinda important..."

Mara crossed her arms. "Well, what I have to say to you is important too. So let me say it first."

"No, no, mine is more important." Jerome argued. "Let me say it first." Mara narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, let's say it together."

Mara rummaged around in her pocket. "Okay. One, two, three."

Jerome didn't bother to kneel, he thought that was cheesy, and so did Mara. He just held out the box with the ring in it and said, "Will you marry me?" But what shocked him was what Mara said at the same time.

"Will you marry me?" she asked, holding out a box with a ring in it too. Mara looked at him, then at the box in his hand, then back at him. "I...I thought you..." She let her arm drop. "Well, that's just great." she sighed.

"What? You thought I...?" asked Jerome, also dropping his arm. Mara shifted from one foot to the other.

"I thought, you know, since you were kinda acting a little distant for the past week that you didn't...that you didn't love me anymore." She looked at the floor, ashamed. Jerome just pulled her close.

"How could you ever think that?" he said into her hair. Mara sniffed, tears welling up again.

"I don't know. I'm sorry." she murmured. "And I love you."

Jerome held out the box again. "So is that a yes?" Mara sniffed and laughed, wiping away more tears, and nodded. Mara also held out her box.

"What about you?" she asked.

Jerome pulled her in again and kissed her. "A thousand times, yes." he whispered against her lips.

* * *

**I love how it took me just thirty minutes to write this. I just love the idea of the two of them engaged!**

**The choices for F are:**

**France  
Flawed  
Friends**


	6. Flawed

_Chapter Six:  
Flawed_

Mara usually prided herself on being a 'sticks and stones' girl, but not today. Her boyfriend, who supposedly loved her, had just called her an 'annoying, nerdy stick-in-the-mud'. If it were any normal day, Mara would have ignored Mick's comments. But it wasn't a normal day.

"An annoying, nerdy stick-in-the-mud, huh?" Mara said to herself. She glanced around at the other students in her extra-credit club. None of them noticed she said anything. "Typical."

When the bell rang, she gathered up her things and bolted out the door as fast as she could. Mick was also in school at this time for his football training, and she didn't want to risk bumping into him. Then she would have to hear some droning apology that he didn't mean, and the next day he would call her something else. That was just how Mick was.

"Annoying," she said again, pulling at the skin on her wrist like she did when she was ashamed. Was she really annoying? Did her housemates just pretend to like her? Of course. "Nerdy." Of course Mara was smart, but nerdy? "Stick-in-the-mud."

When she finally reached fresh air, the tears started falling. A million blurred thoughts raced through her mind. A sharp pain in her head. Legs giving way underneath her. And darkness...

...

She was walking through a purple sky filled with red clouds. A familiar, mocking laugh rang in her ears.

But other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. She ducked her head to avoid the winged cows that were flying overhead. Small rabbits with 3D glasses bounced through the wall behind her.

"Mara," called a voice. The voice was male, though she couldn't make out who it was. Dumbledore, perhaps? Or maybe Mickey Mouse. "Mara! Wake up already!" it called again. Wake up? Did that mean she was dreaming? It couldn't be. Even so, the cloud she was standing on began to wobble. The middle of it opened like a trap door and she fell though the purple sky, passing pink zebras and fruit cakes sprinkled with Lego blocks. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a big yellow thing covered her eyes.

When she looked more closely, it was her bedroom. Mara sat up straight, but her head was pounding.

"What…where's the fruit cake?" she murmured, grabbing the nearest thing she could reach, which happened to be an arm. She let out a little scream.

"Calm down, it's just me." said Jerome, who was sitting on her bed. He scooted a little further away from her when he saw her expression.

"What are you doing here? What happened?" Mara demanded.

"You got hit in the head with a football." Jerome explained. "You know, one of those really hard leather ones."

"Then how did I get here?" Mara asked suspiciously. Jerome shook his head.

"Never mind that. The real question is how did you, of all people, manage to get hit in the head?"

Mara thought back. Most of her memories of the day were blurry. "Annoying, nerdy stick-in-the-mud." she said. "It was Mick. He called me that." Mara let out one defeated laugh. "But it's true, isn't it? Everyone knows it...Is..is that what all of you think of me? That I'm just annoying and nerdy?" Mara felt tears welling up again.

"WELL?!" she shouted at him. "It it!?" That made him jump.

"What? No! No one thinks that!"

"Don't lie to me!" yelled Mara, tears flowing now. Jerome chewed his lip helplessly, he had no idea how to handle Mara like this. He awkwardly put his hand on her back.

"I'm not lying," he said. "Look, Mara, no one thinks you're annoying. And you like school, what's wrong with that?" Mara shrugged. "Look, of course you can be difficult sometimes, everyone is. Like, you nag sometimes, or you obsess too much about the latest assignment. But no one judges you for it. That's the way you are and we love you for it."

"You love me?"

Jerome removed his hand from her back quickly and ran it through his hair. "Well, all of us do, yeah."

Mara smiled a little. "Thanks. I suppose you do have a nice side, Jerome."

"Okay, but it doesn't leave this room."

"You don't want anyone to see the good in you? Well, if you insist." Mara said, a little sadly. "Well, I better fix this." She gestured to her ruined makeup, which Jerome honestly thought she didn't need. But he took it as his cue to leave.

"And Mara? By the way, happy birthday." he said .

"Jerome?" called Mara, as he was about to leave.

"What?"

"Thanks." she said, and returned to her makeup. Jerome knew that it wasn't just for wishing her a happy birthday, but much more. He gave a slight nod, but Mara didn't see the smile that stayed on his face the whole way down the stairs.

* * *

**Yep, it was short and the end was so cliché. But I don't think it was that bad. Anyway, the choices for G are:**

**Gibberish  
Gay  
Gum**


End file.
